Types of Errors Flashcards
(20 cards)
What is a medication error?
Any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care professional, patient, or consumer.
Includes errors related to prescribing, order communication, product labeling, and more.
What are wrong time errors?
Medications administered outside the acceptable interval surrounding the scheduled time.
Can occasionally be unavoidable due to patient circumstances.
Define omission errors.
Failure to administer an ordered dose that is not late.
Omitted doses are not errors when the patient cannot take anything by mouth (NPO), providers are waiting for drug level results, or the patient refuses.
What constitutes a prescribing error?
Occurs when prescriber orders the wrong drug, dose, dosage form, route of administration, or provides inadequate instructions for use.
Illegible handwriting can also lead to prescribing errors.
What are unauthorized drug errors?
Administration of medication without proper authorization by prescriber or giving medication intended for one patient to another.
Examples include sharing prescriptions or refilling prescriptions without refills remaining.
What are improper dose errors?
Dose that is greater or less than prescribed, which can occur due to various factors.
Exclusions include topical applications and variances from apothecary to metric conversions.
What are wrong dosage form errors?
Doses administered in a different form than ordered, which may be acceptable under certain circumstances.
State laws and facility guidelines influence this.
Define compliance errors.
Failure to adhere to the prescribed drug regimen, often detected through untimely refill requests.
Example: Not completing antibiotic therapy.
What are monitoring errors?
Inadequate review of drug therapy, such as not responding to serum drug levels or not checking vital signs when necessary.
What constitutes wrong administration technique errors?
Mistakes in the method of drug administration, such as giving an injection too deep or instilling eye drops in the wrong eye.
What are wrong drug preparation errors?
Errors in preparing medications, such as reconstituting with incorrect volume or using the wrong diluent.
Who organized the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP)?
Established in 1995 to foster reporting, evaluation, and prevention of medication errors.
What is the significance of adverse drug events (ADEs)?
Injuries associated with the medication use process contributing to significant patient morbidity and mortality.
ADEs include both medication errors and adverse drug reactions.
What was the cost of injuries caused by medication errors in 2000?
$177.4 billion.
Reference: Ernst, F.R. and Grizzle, A.J., 2001.
How many patients are injured each year due to medication errors?
Approximately 1.3 million.
What is the mission of Joint Commission International (JCI)?
To continuously improve the safety and quality of care in the international community through education and consultation services.
What role does the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) play?
Focuses entirely on medication error prevention and safe medication use.
True or False: A medication error can occur at any phase of the medication use process.
True.
Fill in the blank: One medication error occurs for each hospitalized patient each ______.
day.
What are the types of medication errors?
- Prescribing Errors
- Omission Errors
- Wrong Time Errors
- Unauthorized Drug Errors
- Improper Dose Errors
- Wrong Dosage Form Errors
- Wrong Drug Preparation Errors
- Wrong Administration Technique Errors
- Deteriorated Drug Errors
- Monitoring Errors
- Compliance Errors
